advocates

Katy Perry and America Ferrera to be Honored by Human Rights Campaign

Left, by Randy Shropshire; Right, by Taylor Hill, both from Getty Images.

America Ferrera and Katy Perry will be the guests of honor at the Human Rights Campaign’s 2017 Los Angeles Gala Dinner on March 18. Perry will be honored with the National Equality Award, and Ferrera will receive the the Ally for Equality Award, the organization said in a statement obtained by Vanity Fair.

Ferrera will receive her award from her friend Lena Dunham, according to H.R.C., and she is already in good company as an honoree. This year, the Ally for Equality Award went to Meryl Streep and Seth Meyers at the H.R.C. Greater New York Gala in February). LeAnn Rimeswill also receive the award at the Nashville Equality dinner on March 25.

In the statement, H.R.C. president Chad Griffin said Ferrera “sets a stirring example” for others to follow. “As we continue the fight for full equality during this very uncertain time for our country, we are constantly inspired by America and our friend, Lena Dunham—both fierce and outspoken champions of equality.”

“The president is not America,” she said to the crowd at the star-studded rally that day. “His cabinet is not America. Congress is not America. We are America. And we are here to stay. We march today for our families and our futures, for the causes we claim and the causes that claim us . . . We are gathered here, and across the country and around the world to say, ‘Mr. Trump, we refuse.’ ”

Perry, who was a strong voice for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, is being honored by the organization for her continued message of equality and inclusion. At the 2016 amfAR Snowflake Ball, Clinton herself came out of her postelection break from the public to honor Perry for her advocacy efforts.

“I have seen Katy’s commitment to the causes she believes in firsthand,” Clinton said at the December event. “I have gotten to spend time with her; I know how deeply she cares about making our world a better place.”

Griffin also praised Perry for using her “powerful voice and international platform” to advocate for those in the L.G.B.T.Q. community. “Her compelling advocacy, from the stage to the campaign trail, has had a profound effect on the lives of L.G.B.T.Q. people—and, in particular, young people,” Griffin said. “Katy’s message of inclusion and equality continues to inspire us and the world.”

Get Vanity Fair’s Cocktail Hour

Our essential brief on culture, the news, and more. And it's on the house.